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Forty years ago in Harlem, mesmerized by the percussive skills of Tito Puente, Henry Lee Brown began banging out rhythms on coffee cans. Brown progressed to timbales, became known as Pucho, and formed a band. Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers blended bebop, R&B, cha-cha, and boogaloo at dances and jazz clubs and recorded steadily throughout the ’60s. Relegated to the lounge circuit in the ’70s, Pucho began his comeback when British acid jazzers began sampling his catalogue. On the new, intermittently successful Groovin’ High, aided by horns, a vibist, conga players, and a rapper, Pucho tries to cover his career and present trends as well, dispensing mambos, shmaltzy boleros, and funk. Pucho plays at 8 p.m., 10 p.m., & midnight at Blues Alley, 1073 Rear Wisconsin Ave. NW. $20. (202) 337-4141. (Steve Kiviat)